This Everlasting Darkness
by JasmineWhite777
Summary: Grace Shepard is forced to live with her sister and her new family in Forks Washington. There she meets Bella for the first time in years and her family. Grace slowly learns that Bella's family is far from normal, but even finding out they're vampires can't keep her from falling in love with Carlisle Cullen. Will he love her back, or stay with Esme?
1. Chapter 1

I had a dream before I met him. His eyes all silver and rippling like a tide. I'd touched his skin, hard like a rock, smooth like marble.

"Who are you," I'd asked.

"Nothing," was his only answer, as he looked down at me in what seemed to be contempt. I wanted to tell him that he was lying; he was standing right there he couldn't be nothing. I couldn't form the words; I couldn't bring up the sounds to my lips.

"Leave me," he growled and took a step away. I didn't pursue him. Not yet.


	2. Chapter 2

The plane ride from Jacksonville Florida was hot and sticky. I kept pulling my legs up from the seat, feeling my bare skin peel from it. The plane had air-conditioning but one of the passengers insisted on keeping their window shade open. The bright sunlight reflecting off the white blazing clouds below shone directly on me, heating up my skin and making me sweat.

I was glad about living with my sister for a few months. Mostly because I got to leave the damn humid mess of Florida. What my mother ever saw in that place I never knew. Unlike her and my dad, I liked the cold rain and the thick beautiful clouds of the north. I had hoped that it would maybe snow and coat the land in a brilliant white blanket of sheer beauty. I wanted to see huge towering mountains piercing the sky and white flurries of snow falling into my eyes. That kind of magnificence couldn't be compared to the ugliness of flat arid land, with crowds of people and sweat dripping down my back.

The plane touched down in Seattle. I grabbed my rolling suitcase and wheeled it to where Bella said she'd meet me. I'd been to Seattle a few times over the course of my life. It was always to visit Bella and her daughter Renesmee. Her husband Edward was hardly ever around, I think the last time I saw him it was for a mere five minutes. Whenever I visited, Bella would put me up in a hotel in Seattle. We never went to Forks, which I supposed I was fine with. Seattle, even though it was a somewhat small city, fascinated me. I would spend a few days with Bella and Renesmee exploring the city, going to the tourist areas like the Space Needle and Pike's Place Market. Then I'd be shipped back off to Florida like I was a distant cousin and not Bella's only sister. This time though, I would get to see Forks and meet the rest of the family I'd heard so much about. This time it would be months and not days.

A black 2010 Chevy Camaro pulled up in front of the airport doors. The electric engine revved like a plastic toy car. Everything was electric or solar these days, I think the last time I rode in a gas car I was five.

I could just barely see Bella sitting in the driver's seat waving at me. She jumped out of the car wearing the latest fashions. A skin tight black dress with pointy high heels. Her hair was draped over one shoulder like a thick brown glossy curtain. Her face, never changing for some reason, was smooth and clear of any imperfection. She strolled around to the back of the car and opened the truck.

"Grace, it's so good to see you." She said, it was easy to tell how hard it was for her to say those words. Her voice was strained and the smile that played out on her lips was tight. I didn't know if my sister liked me or even loved me at that moment. Every time I visited she'd told me it was Edward's idea, which he said we should get to know each other like sisters should. She was always so quiet, barely ever asking about me or my life. Renesmee usually did all the talking.

"Yeah," I said cautiously. She helped put my back in the trunk and dashed into the car like a long legged deer. I slid into the passenger seat and relaxed against the smooth leather. Bella punched on the gas pedal and we flew out of the airport zone toward Seattle.

"Alice is looking forward to meeting you," Bella said. I raised my eyebrows, Bella hardly ever talked about her family. That was again Renesmee's job.

"Cool," I said and thought of what Alice looked like. Just a young girl with short brown hair, was how the picture described it. "Where's Renesmee?"

"She's going to college in Alaska with Jacob." Bella answered brusquely.

"Oh," I said. I graduated from high school last summer. The biggest plan I had after that was going to community college, but since I had no idea what to do with my life I decided to take a break. A minute after that decision Bella called offering for me to stay with her for the rest of the year. "I thought you would have wanted her to go to college here in Seattle."

"I did, but that's not what she wanted." Bella said. She drove with her hands firmly clasped on the stirring wheel staring straight ahead at the road, her back ramrod straight. As I stared at her I realized she didn't blink, at all.

"Bella are you okay," I asked. Bella lips slowly formed into a smile.

"Of course I am," she said. Once in the city we drove down to the waterfront to catch a ferry across the bay. From there it would be a few hours until we reached Forks. It would probably be dark by then.

"We can get something to eat in Bremerton," Bella said once we were on the ferry. She then turned up the music on the stereo and sat back in her seat, closing her eyes.

"I'm going to walk around." I said and got out of the car, fighting off the shivers of the cold outside. I walked past the line of cars up to the deck, where I watched the lights of Seattle grow stronger in the fading light.


	3. Chapter 3

Forks was so much smaller than I thought it would be. With only one main road, and that was it. It would too dark to see the terrain but I could already tell that it was green. And that lifted my spirits just a little.

Bella drove past the town deep into the woods and pulled into a long driveway. It was late at night, and yet the painfully large white house sitting amongst the vibrant darkness, was alight in a glow of indoor lights.

"Everyone's awake," I said with the question and confusion in my tone.

"They stayed up to meet you." Bella said, lifting my luggage from the trunk. I took it from her and pulled it up the walk way to the house. The front door opened before I could reach it, a couple stepped out onto the porch, their arms wrapped around each other. The porch light flicked on to reveal their inhumanly beautiful faces. I paused for a moment, just taking them in.

"You're Alice and Jasper," I said.

"Yes, and you're Grace," Alice said in a sing song voice. She gently pulled me in for a hug. A little uncomfortable by the action I let my hands hang by my sides. She pulled away and held me at arm's length. "Wow you really do look like Bella," she said and led me into the house. I never thought I looked like Bella before, not even close.

"Oh my gosh, this place is beautiful." I said taking in the interior. Wide open space, spot lighting, and expensive furniture. This place was nothing but money, I could tell.

"We're glad you like it," an unfamiliar female voice said. I looked up at the sweeping staircase to see a woman with shoulder length brown hair, and the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.

"This is Esme and Carlisle," Alice introduced. I smiled said hello. I blushed as looking at the man Carlisle. He was strangely young for a man who was supposed to be in his forties.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Carlisle said in a smooth suave voice.

"Likewise," I managed to say. They took me on a tour of the house, and showed me to my room, that was once apparently Edward's room. Bella was nowhere to be found.

"You're probably tired," Esme said as I sat on the sleigh bed that took up most of the room.

"Yeah," I said just realizing how heavy my whole body felt.

"Get some sleep; we'll talk more in the morning." She said and closed the door. I lay back in the most comfortable bed I'd ever felt, and sighed. Outside I could see the forest through the floor to ceiling windows. A dark washed blue sky peeked through the tangle of trees.

"What the hell," I said and sat up straight in bed. I jumped up from the bed going to the window, pressing my hands to the glass. It was only for an instant, but I swore I saw something running faster than any living thing should.

I gave up searching for it after a few minutes and laid back down in bed. I couldn't help the fear that started to crawl on my skin.


End file.
